Category: Religion

Pedro Calungsod – yet another Filipino saint Filipinos can look to for miracles

December 26, 2011 benign0 19 Comments

I read recently that we have another Filipino saint queued for canonisation by the Roman Catholic officialdom in the Vatican. Blessed Pedro Calungsod is a 17th Century Visayan martyr whose bid to be the second Filipino saint is “now a certainty” by virtue of a papal decree made last week according to an Inquirer.net report….

Culture, Government, Religion, Society

President Noynoy Aquino: Is he the new Filipino god?

December 24, 2011November 5, 2013 Ilda 102 Comments

Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino wants to end 2011 right — or at least his handlers do. Just a few days before the end of the year, Malacañang’s official survey firm, Social Weather Stations (SWS), which is owned and operated by friends and family members of PNoy, concluded the year with another “very good” rating…

Culture, Media, Politics, Religion

Constitutional blitz – Is President Noynoy Aquino not as dumb as we all thought he was?

December 17, 2011December 17, 2011 benign0 52 Comments

I think it’s time I gave President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III some credit where it is due. In the span of less than two months, he had pulled off a successful blitzkrieg across two venerable institutions of the Philippine Government — the first involving a swift and decisive flattening of a series of roadblocks both…

Development, Economy, Government, Media, Politics, Religion

To those calling for war or peace in Mindanao: You’re not asking the right questions

November 1, 2011November 1, 2011 benign0 43 Comments

Despite having been to Mindanao more times than the average Manila resident when I was younger, I can’t really say I know the place as well as some of those who are quick to offer “solutions” to the “situation” over there. To begin with, it was mainly its major cities that I’ve been to —…

Development, Politics, Religion, The South

Has being ‘pro Reproductive Health’ become a mere fashion statement?

October 13, 2011October 13, 2011 benign0 3 Comments

First it was “constitutional reform” and now it is “reproductive health”. The thing with issues and the advocacies that seek to address them is that they follow an all-too-familiar lifecycle. They first start out as nice ideas firmly rooted in a robust intellectual construct. And then the simian behaviour starts. Hold that thought for now…

Media, Religion, Society

Do we really know what admiring Steve Jobs is really all about?

October 12, 2011October 12, 2011 benign0 22 Comments

A great man died the other day. And so I’ve been seing a lot of tributes to Steve Jobs, for the man and for his achievements — he built one of the most valuable business enterprises on the planet, created great products, and established the services behind them that re-defined entire industries and entire ways…

Religion, Society, Technology

The 11th September 2001 terrorist attack – ten years hence: What have we learned?

September 10, 2011 benign0 4 Comments

History’s worst terrorist act against Americans within and outside of their borders will be remembered on Sunday, the 11th September this year. Exactly ten years ago on that date (now known simply as â€œ9/11â€), more than three thousand people died in separate suicide attacks against high-profile targets within the United States, culminating in the total…

Crime, Politics, Religion

Pornography – the more entertaining alter-ego of religion

August 19, 2011August 19, 2011 benign0 5 Comments

From a burst of Twitter exchanges Yours Truly (@benign0 on Twitter) had in the last 24 hours with Arnel Endrinal (@LeadPhilippines on Twitter), top political radio jock on his radio show Sentro ng Katotohanan which airs 8.30-9.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays on DWBL 1242 KHz (AM Band, Philippines), I’ve recently acquired even more insight on the…

Culture, Media, Religion